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Register a new userA More Efficient Search for H2O Megamaser Galaxies : The Power of the X-ray and Mid-infrared Photometry
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We present a new investigation of the dependence of H2O maser detection rates and properties on the mid-IR AGN luminosity, L_AGN, and the obscuring column density, N_H, based on mid-IR and hard X-ray photometry. Based on spectral energy distribution fitting that allows for decomposition of the black hole accretion and star-formation components in the mid-infrared, we show that the megamaser (disk maser) detection rate increases sharply for galaxies with 12 micron AGN luminosity L^{AGN}_{12 micron} greater than 10^42 erg/s, from ~<3%(~<2%) to ~12%(~5%). By using the ratio of the observed X-ray to mid-IR AGN luminosity as an indicator of N_H, we also find that the megamaser (disk maser) detection rates are boosted to 15%(7%) and 20%(9%) for galaxies with N_H >= 10^23 cm^{-2} and N_H >= 10^{24} cm^{-2}, respectively. Combining these column density cuts with a constraint for high L^{AGN}_{12 micron} (>=10^42 erg/s) predicts further increases in the megamaser (disk maser) detection rates to 19%(8%) and 27%(14%), revealing unprecedented potential boosts of the megamaser and disk maser detection rates by a factor of 7-15 relative to the current rates, depending on the chosen sample selection criteria. A noteworthy aspect of these new predictions is that the completeness rates are only compromised mildly, with the rates remaining at the level of ~95%(~50%) for sources with N_H >= 10^{23} cm^{-2} (N_H >= 10^24 cm^-2). Applying these selection methods to the current X-ray AGN surveys predicts the detection of >~15 new megamaser disks.
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Water megamasers from circumnuclear disks in galaxy centers provide the most accurate measurements of supermassive black hole masses and uniquely probe the sub-parsec accretion processes. At the same time, these systems offer independent crucial constraints of the Hubble Constant in the nearby universe, and thus, the arguably best single constraint on the nature of dark energy. The chances of finding these golden standards are however abysmally low, at an overall =< 3% for any level of water maser emission detected at 22 GHz, and =< 1% for those exhibiting the disk-like configuration. We provide here a thorough summary of the current state of the detection of water megamaser disks, along with a novel investigation of the likelihood of increasing their detection rates based on a multivariate parameter analysis of optical and mid-infrared photometric properties of the largest database of galaxies surveyed for the 22 GHz emission. We find that galaxies with water megamaser emission tend to associate with strong emission in all WISE mid-infrared wavelengths, with the strongest enhancement in the W4 band, at 22 micron, as well as with previously proposed and newly found indicators of AGN strength in the mid-infrared, such as red W1-W2 and W1-W4 colors, and the integrated mid-infrared luminosity of the host galaxy. These trends offer a potential boost of the megamaser detection rates to 6 - 15%, or a factor of 2-8 relative to the current rates, depending on the chosen sample selection criteria, while fostering real chances for discovering >= 20 new megamaser disks.
A systematic study is performed on radio properties of H$_{2}$O megamaser host Seyfert 2 galaxies, through multi-band radio continuum observations (at 11cm, 6.0 cm, 3.6 cm, 2.0 cm and 1.3 cm) with the Effelsberg 100-m radio telescope within a total time duration of four days. For comparison, a control Seyfert 2 galaxy sample without detected maser emission was also observed. Spectral indices were determined for those sources for which measurements exist at two adjacent bands assuming a power-law dependence S$_ u propto u^{-alpha}$, where S is the flux density and $ u$ is the frequency. Comparisons of the radio continuum properties between megamaser and non-masing Seyfert 2s show no difference in spectral indices. However, a difference in radio luminosity is statistically significant, i.e. the maser galaxies tend to have higher radio luminosities by a factor of 2 to 3 than the non-masing ones, commonly reaching values above a critical threshold of 10$^{29}$ ergs$^{-1}$Hz$^{-1}$. This result confirms an earlier conclusion by Zhang et al. (2012), but is based on superior data with respect to the time interval within which the data were obtained, with respect to the observational facility (only one telescope used), the number of frequency bands.
We present an updated mid-infrared (MIR) versus X-ray correlation for the local active galactic nuclei (AGN) population based on the high angular resolution 12 and 18um continuum fluxes from the AGN subarcsecond MIR atlas and 2-10 keV and 14-195 keV data collected from the literature. We isolate a sample of 152 objects with reliable AGN nature and multi-epoch X-ray data and minimal MIR contribution from star formation. Although the sample is not homogeneous or complete, we show that our results are unlikely to be affected by biases. The MIR--X-ray correlation is nearly linear and within a factor of two independent of the AGN type and the wavebands used. The observed scatter is <0.4 dex. A possible flattening of the correlation slope at the highest luminosities probed (~ 10^45 erg/s) is indicated but not significant. Unobscured objects have, on average, an MIR--X-ray ratio that is only <= 0.15 dex higher than that of obscured objects. Objects with intermediate X-ray column densities (22 < log N_H < 23) actually show the highest MIR--X-ray ratio on average. Radio-loud objects show a higher mean MIR--X-ray ratio at low luminosities, while the ratio is lower than average at high luminosities. This may be explained by synchrotron emission from the jet contributing to the MIR at low-luminosities and additional X-ray emission at high luminosities. True Seyfert 2 candidates and double AGN do not show any deviation from the general behaviour. Finally, we show that the MIR--X-ray correlation can be used to verify the AGN nature of uncertain objects. Specifically, we give equations that allow to determine the intrinsic 2-10 keV luminosities and column densities for objects with complex X-ray properties to within 0.34 dex. These techniques are applied to the uncertain objects of the remaining AGN MIR atlas, demonstrating the usefulness of the MIR--X-ray correlation as an empirical tool.
We present further results of a search for extragalactic submillimeter H2O masers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA). The detection of a 321 GHz H2O maser in the nearby Type 2 Seyfert galaxy, the Circinus galaxy, has previously been reported, and here the spectral analysis of four other galaxies is described. We have discovered H2O maser emission at 321 GHz toward the center of NGC 4945, a nearby Type 2 Seyfert. The maser emission shows Doppler-shifted velocity features with velocity ranges similar to those of the previously reported 22 GHz H2O masers, however the non-contemporaneous observations also show differences in velocity offsets. The sub-parsec-scale distribution of the 22 GHz H2O masers revealed by earlier VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) observations suggests that the submillimeter masers could arise in an edge-on rotating disk. The maser features remain unresolved by the synthesized beam of ~ 0.54 (~30 pc) and are located toward the 321 GHz continuum peak within errors. A marginally detected (3 sigma) high-velocity feature is redshifted by 579 km/s with respect to the systemic velocity of the galaxy. Assuming that this feature is real and arises from a Keplerian rotating disk in this galaxy, it is located at a radius of ~0.020 pc (~1.5 x 10^5 Schwarzschild radii), which would enable molecular material closer to the central engine to be probed than the 22 GHz H2O masers. This detection confirms that submillimeter H2O masers are a potential tracer of the circumnuclear regions of active galaxies, which will benefit from higher angular resolution studies with ALMA.
We present results from a near/mid IR search for submillimetre galaxies over a region of 6230 sq deg. of the southern sky. We used a cross-correlation of the VISTA Hemispheric Survey (VHS) and the WISE database to identify bright galaxies (K_s <= 18.2) with near/mid IR colours similar to those of the high redshift lensed sub-mm galaxy SMM J2135-0102. We find 7 galaxies which fulfill all five adopted near/mid IR colour (NMIRQC) criteria and resemble the SED of the reference galaxy at these wavelengths. For these galaxies, which are broadly distributed in the sky, we determined photometric redshifts in the range z=1.6-3.2. We searched the VHS for clusters of galaxies, which may be acting as gravitational lenses, and found that 6 out of the 7 galaxies are located within 3.5 arcmin of a cluster/group of galaxies. Using the J-K_s vs J sequences we determine photometric redshifts for these clusters/groups in the range z=0.2-0.9. We propose the newly identified sources are ultra-bright high redshift lensed SMG candidates. Follow-up observations in the sub-mm and mm are key to determine the ultimate nature of these objects.
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